








The main theme of this year was the beginning of regular appearances of Royal Scot and Patriot locomotives, and the continuing and developing use of former LNER B1 4-6-0 engines. In February distribution of motive power because of the steady dieselization of the Euston - Crewe - Carlisle main line brought Scots and Patriots for the first time to 41C Millhouses Shed, Sheffield. The engines involved were: 45514 'Holyhead' 45536 'Private W Wood VC' 46131 'The Ryal Warwickshire Regiment' 46147 'The Northamptonshire Regiment' 46148 'The Manchester Regiment' 46151 'The Royal Horse Guardsman' 46164 'The Artists Rifleman' This ensured that thereafter there would be regular and increasing appearances of this class of engine on the Birmingham to Bristol route, a complete change from anything that had gone before when the appearance of any Scot or Patriot, other than the 45509 'The Derbyshire Yeomanary' had been a rarity. As an aside, February also saw the closure of 21B Bourneville shed, whilst a cheap trip from Bromsgrove to Bristol only cost 10/6d: More trains to Redditch
Former LNER B1's at Bromsgrove This was reported as the first B1 seen at Bath, went on shed, and later took out the 2215 Bath to Birmingham parcels Tuesday 31st May 61027 'Madoqua' (41A Sheffield Darnell) returning with the next day's northbound 'Pines Express' However, the most interesting visitor of the year so far appeared on Saturday 14th May when former LNER K3 61853 double headed Jubilee 45662 'Kempenfelt' through to Bristol on the 1348 York to Bristol, yet another example of this train producing something out of the ordinary. The K3 (from 41A Sheffield Darnell) had been attached at Sheffield. On arrival at Bristol the foreigner was in no hurry to go home as it remained at Barrow Road shed until Monday 16th May, by which time B1 class 61337 (50A York) had arrived on an unknown working The whit weekend saw former GWR 2-8-2T 7244 at Bromsgrove on a pick up freight, a most unexpected visitor, while Royal Scot 46119 'Lancashire Fusiler' appeared at Worcester on Saturday 28th May with some empty stock. June was no less interesting, with a number of 'foreign' visitors:
Summer workings through Bromsgrove As the summer traffic built up, the unusual workings continued with early July bringing one of the most notable workings ever to the Birmingham to Bristol route. On the Friday evening of 8th July Clan Pacific 72005 'Clan Macgregor'(from 12A Carlisle) was put on the 2045 Fridays only Bradford to Paignton, working back north next day from Bristol on the 0745 Paignton to Newcastle via Worcester and Bromsgrove. This was the only recorded visit of a Clan to this route these engines were normally employed in Scotland or from Manchester and Carlisle to Scotland, their visits south being extremely rare. Of course by this time the holiday traffic was at its peak bringing all sorts of interesting locomotives through Bromsgrove :
Royal Scots take over Whilst all these visitors were arriving the Royal Scot locomotives were establishing themselves and appearing regularly. The last steam-hauled service from Great Malvern to Birmingham New Street was the 0924 train, the locomotive being provided by Saltley depot, the train usually being five corridors of ex-LMS stock. The motive power was very variable, ranging from an 0-6-0 to a tank engine or a Black '5' but on one occasion it was headed by 46100 'Royal Scott'.
O bservations at BromsgroveSeveral hours observation at Bromsgrove on Wednesday 24th August gave a good indication of the motive power in use with 77 different locomotives being observed from 11 different classes, and of course no diesels yet: It is also worth noting that these locomotives came from 29 different sheds, as diverse as Neasden, Kentish Town and Cricklewood in London, Swindon, Blackpool, Carlisle and Bath. The details were : 42761 (21A Saltley), 44404 (41E Staveley (Barrow Hill), 45088 (21A Saltley), 42763 (17B Burton), 44659 (21A Saltley), 45182 (26F Patricroft), 42818 (17B Burton), 44662 (55A Leeds Holbeck ), 45217 (16D Annesley), 42890 (21A Saltley), 44673 (12A Carlisle Kingmoor), 45221 (16A Nottingham), 42922 (17B Burton), 44754 (55A Leeds Holbeck) , 45242 8A , 43017 (21A Saltley), 44813 (21A Saltley), 45275 (6B Mold Junction), 43885 (16B Kirkby-in-Ashfield), 44828 (55A Leeds Holbeck) , 45519 'Lady Godiva' (82E Bristol Barrow Road), 43948 (21A Saltley), 44849 (55A Leeds Holbeck), 45541 'Duke of Suterland' (2A Rugby), 43951 (12A Carlisle Kingmoor), 44856 (16A Nottingham). 43975 (21A Saltley), 44866 (2A Rugby), 45557 (17A 'New Brunswick), 44004 (21A Saltley), 44920 (21A Saltley), 45570 'New Zealand' (41C Millhouses), 44076 (2E Northampton), 44941 (14A Cricklewood), 45572 'Eire' (82E Bristol Barrow Road), 44143 (21A Saltley), 44944 (21A Saltley), 45579 'Punjab' (14B Kentish Town), 44165 (21A Saltley), 44947 (24E Blackpool), 45598 'Bassutoland' (17A Derby), 44179 (21A Saltley), 44966 (21A Saltley), 45610 (17A Derby) 'Ghana', 45612 'Jamacia' (17A Derby), 45618 (17A Derby) 'New Hebrides, '45626 'Seychelles' (17A Derby), 45639 'Raleigh' (55A Leeds Holbeck ), 45649 'Hawkins’ (21A Saltley); 45651 'Shovell', (82E Bristol Barrow Road) 45655 'Keith' (5A Crewe North), 45658 'Keyes' (55A Leeds Holbeck) , 45659 'Drake' (55A Leeds Holbeck) , 45660 'Rooke' (82E Bristol Barrow Road), 45668 'Madden' (17A Derby) , 45682 'Trafalgar' (82E Bristol Barrow Road), 45694 'Bellerophon' (55A Leeds Holbeck), 45702 (26A Newton Heath) 'Colossus', 45724 (5A Crewe North) 'Warspite', 45725 (41C Millhouses) 'Repulse' (17A Derby), 46164 (41C Millhouses) 'The Artists Rifleman', 48006 (16B Kirkby-in-Ashfield), 48029 (41E Staveley (Barrow Hill)), 48060 (18A Toton), 48095 (18C Hasland), 48170 (16A Nottingham), 48277, (16B Kirkby-in-Ashfield), 73000 (41B Grimesthorpe), 73001 (82C Swindon), 73003 (82E Bristol Barrow Road), More Interesting workings Incidentally one of the more interesting workings still operating at this time was the through Exmouth to Cleethorpes service travelling over four different regions of British Rail. The remainder of the year continued to serve up a good variety of motive power with a real surprise in December. Patriot 45536 'Private W Wood VC' from Millhouses shed arrived in Bristol on both Sunday 11th September and Tuesday 4th October, the second occasion in charge of the westbound 'Devonian', while B1 visitors in October were:
Land slip on the Somerset & Dorset In December the very wet weather caused a landslip at Midford, blocking for a few days the Somerset & Dorset line between Bath and Templecombe. A decision was made to temporarily re-route the 'The Pines Express' from Bournemouth via Salisbury, Bath (GWR), and Bristol, and then the normal route to Birmingham. On the first day of this re-routing the train was worked through to Birmingham by West Country Pacific 34102 'Lapford' an unprecedented event. The engine returned next day on the balancing working. Unfortunately, 34102 almost ran out of coal on the return trip, arriving at Bournemouth with an empty tender and a run-down fire. When this state of affairs became known to the authorities the through working was stopped, engines changing at Bristol, but before it was changed a former GWR Hall class 4-6-0 apparently worked through to Birmingham. On Wednesday 7th December Pacific 34105 'Swanage' headed the train through Bath, but it is not known how far she worked. Scottish Region locomotives visit December turned out to be a really surprising month for on Friday 9th December the northbound' Pines Express was worked by Carlisle Upperby (12B) Jubilee 45723 'Fearless', while Royal Scot 46107 'Argyll and Sutherland Highlander' (from 66A Polmadie, Glasgow really away from its normal haunts) headed the northbound 'Devonian' out of Bristol on Monday 12th December. |